In Their Own Words: Blue Springs Elementary Students Return To Class

LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) – Teachers and staff warmly greeted students as they returned to Blue Springs Elementary School, Thursday morning. This was the first day of school for these students since last week’s deadly tornado.

It was a huge step back to a normal life for many of the students. Roughly 10% of the student body was absent today, and that corresponds with the number of Blue Springs students who were left homeless by the tornado. They all have stories to tell. We were allowed to go into a third grade classroom and turn our microphone over to one of the students and he interviewed some of his classmates. So this is their story.

Lily Haygood: “I didn’t get damaged. I saw that Bobby trailer park, I can’t remember what it’s called, Billy Barb’s trailer park and it, it just made me think I’m glad that everybody in my family and some people are safe. But I’m sorry for some poeple’s loss.”

Caden Guimarin: “It did scare me but there was no sound. I didn’t hear it because Mom put all these mattresses on top of us and then she laid on top of us and then put all these covers on top of us.”

Lily Haygood: “The tornado was right on top of us so what we had to do was go in our bathroom and hide in the corner of the bathtub.”

Caden Guimarin: “I have. I’ve been out with the MP’s and helping them and giving them water and giving them food and stuff like that.”

Lily Haygood: “All the people, I’ve seen them giving stuff away. I just thought, I want to gove it away but see, what if I give too much away?

Will Paustian: “You can never give too much to the people who have lost everything.”

Lily Haygood: “But what I mean is like I give them all my things and then I just don’t have nothing for me. So I’ve got to give them the right amount.”

Will Paustian “And I’ve said since I walked out of that storm shelter, I hope I never see this much destruction again.”

47 students were not able to return to school today. A number of others are transferring to other schools, their families are moving away to find housing. The school is doing all it can to help the children get their lives back to normal.